Spring frog



gr" 3. G. M. COOPER ET AL SPRING FROG I 3 SheetSSheet 1 Filed March 29, 1933 AORNEY$ L A H R E P O O C M G SPRING FROG 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 29, 1933 ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNETE STATES PATENT SPRING FROG Application March 29, 1933, Serial No. 663,260

11 Claims.

The invention relates to railroad track equipment, and more particularly to rail intersections or frogs.

The invention further relates to a rail intersection or frog in which the flangeway of the branch line track is normally closed, thereby providing a continuous support for the treads of train Wheels on the main line track. The frog may comprise the usual frog point and fixed wing rail secured to the branch line rail and a spring pressed wing rail secured to the main line rail. The spring pressed wing is. normally held against the frog point to provide the continuous supporting surface for the treads of the wheels running along the main line.

Provision is made for the wheels of branch line trains to automatically open the fiangeway between the spring pressed wing rail and the frog point. According to the invention, a dash pot arrangement is provided for automatically controlling the lateral movement of the spring wing rail to prevent its too rapid return from open to closed position between successive sets of wheels on a train. The undesirable action, commonly known in the art as slapping back or slapping home is thereby eliminated.

If desired, according to the invention, a special insert of wear-resisting material may be provided to form the frog point and also to form a wearing edge or shoulder on the opposite side of the main line fiangeway to take the hammering of the wheels of branch line trains crossing the main line flangeway.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and the manner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the acompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the cross-over construction in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the wear-resisting insert;

Fig. 2a is a bottom plan view of the wear-resisting insert;

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 33 of Fig. 1, a fragment of a car wheel being shown;

Fig. i is a cross section on the line 4-4 of Fig Fig. 5 is a cross section on the line 5-4 of Fig 1;

Fig. 6 is a cross section on the line 6-6 of Fig 1;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a modified form of the cross-over construction in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 8 is a cross section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

In the following description and in the claims, 10 various details will be identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in 15 the several figures of the drawings.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification, certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes of explanation, but it will be understood that the 20 details may be modified in various respects without departure from the broad aspect of the invention.

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1-6, an intersection or frog is 25 shown where a single rail of the branch line A crosses a single rail of the main line B. It will be understood that the branch line A may extend to a switch (not shown) on the main line B or may completely cross the main line B forming part 30 of a track crossing. In either case the construction of the intersection of the two rails shown will be the same. In the claims the term frog is used to define any such rail intersection whether used with a switch or with a crossing of 35 two tracks.

In general, the intersection or frog comprises a fixed wing rail 20 secured to the lead rail 30 of the branch line A; a spring pressed movable wing rail 36 pivoted to the lead rail 3'! of the 4 main line B; heel rail H of the main line B and heel rail l 2 of the branch line A secured to the insert M which comprises frog point l5 and Wearresisting shoulder i8. Guard rails H and 12 are provided for assisting in guiding the flanges of the wheels in the proper flange-ways of the intersection.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, the usual ties are denoted by it upon which the spring rail frog construction and tracks are positioned. Heel rails ii and H are disposed at an angle to each other and are cut ofi at it some distance from the vertex of the converging gauge lines of rails M and 52. The wear-resisting 55 insert I4 is connected to the cut off ends of the heel rails II and I2.

The insert I4 (Fig. 2) may be made of one piece construction of special wear-resisting material, such as manganese steel, suitably ribbed and flanged for strength. The insert includes a frog point I5 and the main line flange-way I6 which is channel shaped in cross section. A shoulder I8 extends along the flangeway I6 and throat I1 and forms a wheel engaging member of substantial strength to take the hammering action from the treads of wheels of trains traveling over the branch line A as the wheels bridge the main line flangeway I6.

Frog point I5 includes a wheel engaging portion 2| which becomes progressively wider from the half inch point 22 toward the heel where it terminates in a spacer lug 23 to which the heel rails II and I2 are fastened.

The insert I4 is supported by a side wall I9 (Fig. 2a) which fits closely the web portion of the rigid wing rail 20 and a web 24 which terminates in a base flange 25 (see Figs. 3 and 5). Base flange 25 has a plurality of long lugs 26 which extend downwardly through holes 21 in the base plate 28 upon which the insert is positioned. The lugs may be peened over as shown at 29 (Fi 3).

The side wall I9 and web 24 converge and meet at a point near the end of the insert, forming a single web II9 (Fig. 2a), the insert being provided with a horizontal flange I20 and an end flange I2I, as indicated also in Fig. 2a. The wall I9 and web 24 meet at the other end of the insert also, as indicated by I22, at the spacer lug 23. A plurality of bracing members I23 connect wall I9 and web 24 having holes through which some of the connecting bolts pass. It will be understood that the bolts 35 securely connect the insert I4 to the rigid wing rail 28.

Rigid wing rail 20 is connected at one end to lead rail 30. From this end the rigid wing rail is substantially straight for a distance up to a point 3| approximately corresponding to the end of shoulder I8 of the insert. The gauge line along this portion of the rigid wing rail is a continuation of the gauge line along heel rail I2. The opposite end portion. of the rigid wing rail 28 is bent outwardly slightly from the point 3| and extends along shoulder I8 of the insert. The head of the rigid wing rail 20 is partially cut away on the side near the wear-resisting insert as shown at 32 (Fig. 3), the contour of the cut conforming to the outside of shoulder I8 so that a snug fit between the head of the rigid wing rail and the wheel engaging shoulder I8 results. The extreme end portion of the rigid wing rail 26 is beveled off to form a flare opening 33. As the name indicates, the rigid wing rail is fastened rigidly to the base plate 28 and base plates 34 in the usual manner by rivets, as is well known in the art.

The rigid wing rail 28 and insert I4 are bolted together by a plurality of main bolts, illustrated by 35 and both may be riveted to the base plate in the usual manner. The lugs 26, which extend through the base plate, when peened over assist in making up a rigid assembly. The lugs perform a further very important function in carrying stresses and relieving the rivets from strains due to thrusts from passing wheels.

Spring wing rail 36 is connected at one end to its adjacent lead rail 31 in the usual manner to provide pivotal movement of the spring rail. The pivot end portion of the spring rail 36 is substantially straight for a distance up to point 38 opposite the throat I! from which point it 1s bent slightly outwardly and its base is partially cut away as shown in Fig. 3 so that its head extends along the side of the frog point I5 and fits snugly thereagainst. The extreme end portion of the spring rail is beveled OE and bent outwardly to a greater degree to form a flare opening 39.

A spring mechanism 40 (Fig. 4) connects the spring wing rail 36 and rigid wing rail 28. It comprises spring bolt M which extends through the web portions of the rigid wing rail 20, spring wing rail 36 and wear-resisting insert I4. Springs 42 are mounted on both ends of the spring bolt and are encased in spring housings 43. Spring followers 44 adapted to slide in the spring housings fit next to the springs 42 and are held in place by nuts 45. These nuts also provide for adjustment of the tension of the springs.

The spring mechanism is adapted to exert a force on the spring rail 36 to keep it in closed position and to permit the spring rail to move laterally from the pivot connection where the spring rail 36 is connected to lead rail 31. This lateral movement permits the spring rail to open and form a flangeway between the frog point I5 and the spring rail 36 when suflicient force is applied to the spring rail to overcome the resistance of the springs 42. The spring mechanism is of standard construction well known in the art and per se forms no part of the invention.

A reenforcing strap 46 is bent to conform with the bends in the spring rail 36 and is also bent to form integral holddown horns 41. This strap is riveted to the web of the spring rail 36. The holddown horns 4! register with and move laterally within holddown housings 48 which are rigidly fixed to the base plates or ties.

An auxiliary spring and stop device 49 is provided comprising a spring box I49 secured to the base plate 28. A spring I56 is disposed within the box I49 and acts between a cap I5! bolted to the box I49 and a movable contact member I52 held against the spring rail 36. The construction of device 49 is well known and will be readily understood by those skilled in the art. The auxiliary spring and stop 49 define the limit to which the fiangeway between the spring rail 36 and frog point I5 may be opened when a force is applied sufficient to overcome the resistance of the spring mechanism 40 and auxiliary spring I56. The holddown housings 48 prevent vertical movement of the spring rail 36 and may also act as stops to limit the lateral movement of this rail.

Dotted lines 50 (Fig. 1) and 5| (Figs. 3 and 5) indicate the position of the spring rail in open position. The stops are adjusted to allow sulficient fiangeway space to receive the flanges of the branch line train wheels when a train passes through.

A forged steel clip 52 (Fig. 3) of triangular shape, with a turned up portion 53 to fit the web, is bolted to the spring rail 36 by bolts 54. An oil dash pot or buffer I55 is positioned opposite he clip. The cylinder 55 of the buffer is cast with integral bosses 56 which register with and fit into holes 51 in straps 58. fixed, being bolted to extended portions of the base plate 28 by bolts 59. The bosses 56 are positioned to permit lateral pivotal movement of the buffer cylinder.

A piston 66 is provided for the cylinder 55 and The straps are rigidly has a spring pressed plate 6| closing a series of holes in the piston forming a one-way valve 161. The buffer cylinder is constructed with a duct 62 which connects with the inside of the cylinder on both sides of the piston 60. Adjustable valves 63 are provided in the duct to allow liquid in the cylinder to pass through at a controlled rate. Plugs 64 and 15s are provided to give access to the cylinder for charging liquid and for adjustment. Piston rod 65 is connected at one end to the piston 60 and at the other end to the clip 52 by means of a turn buckle 66 and pin 61 which permit of pivotal lateral movement. The piston rod passes through gland 6B.

In operation, when a train travels on branch tracks A in the direction indicated by the arrow 69, the flanges of the right hand wheels enter the flare opening 39. There is sufficient force exerted against the spring rail 35 to overcome the resistance of the spring mechanisms 40 and I50 and the flangeway is automatically opened by the Wheels of the train. After a set of wheels has passed through, the spring rail tends to snap to closed positiondue to the tension of the springs 42 and I!) and an undesirable slapping back action would be set up after each successive set of wheels passed through, but for the action of the butler I55. The one-way valve l6] permits the piston to move freely with the opening of the spring rail, but retards the movement of the piston and spring rail toward closed position. The valves in the bufier are so adjusted that the spring rail is held open suflicient time to permit the successive sets of wheels to pass through without successive slapping back. When the train has completely passed through the flangeway, the bufier then permits the spring rail to close in a gentle manner.

When the train travels on branch tracks A in the direction of the arrow 10, the spring rail is likewise automatically opened by the wheels of the train. The guard rail H is so positioned that it guides the right hand wheels of the train and by reason of the fixed spaced relation between the right and left hand wheels of a pair of wheels, sufiiicient force is exerted laterally against the spring rail that it is automatically opened. Once opened, the same buffer action, previously described, keeps the fiangeway open until the train has completely passed through.

When the train travels in either direction on main line tracks B, guard rail 12 assists in guiding the wheels in the fiangeway 16. The spring mechanism is not actuated and the spring rail remains in closed position, thus affording continuous tread surface for the wheels. This eliminates the undesirable bumping encountered when the train wheels pass over ordinary crossovers having two permanently open flangeways.

The special insert of wear-resisting material provides a frog point and a protecting shoulder on opposite sides of the main line flangeway to withstand the hammering action of the wheels of branch line trains crossing the main line flangeway which is always open for main line trains.

Referring now to Figs. '7 and 8, these figures illustrate a modified construction in which the wheel contacting parts are made of standard T- rail stock, there being no special insert as in the former construction.

This modified construction comprises in general a fixed wing rail l8 secured to a rail of the branch line A and a movable Wing rail H pivoted to a rail (not shown) of the main line B. The frog point 12 is made up of short point rail 13 forming part of a rail of main line B and long point rail 14 forming part of a rail of branch line A.

The rails forming the frog point 52 are of standard T-rail stock and the ends thereof are cut and planed to the form indicated to form the frog point in a manner well known in the art.

The frog point 12 is secured to the fixed Wing rail by a plurality of bolts one of which is indicated by 15 (Fig. 8), there being interposed suitable spacer or filler blocks '16, as is well known in the art. It will be understood that all fixed rails 10, 13 and 14 are secured together and permanently riveted to the supporting base or tie plates, which in turn are spiked to the ties in the usual manner as described in connection with Figs. 1-6.

For normally holding the movable wing rail "H closed to provide continuous support for the treads of Wheels of main line trains, the spring assembly 1'! connecting wing rails 10 and ii is provided. This spring assembly is similar in construction to the spring assembly Ml described in connection with Figs. 1-6.

For holding down the movable wing rail H on the tie plates and yet permitting relative movement, holding down horn constructions, indicated in general by 18, are provided. These elements are similar to the elements 41, 48 described in Figs. 1-6. Similarly, an auxiliary spring and stop device, indicated by 19 and similar in construction to the stop device 49 in Fig. 1, is provided for limiting the maximum opening movement of the movable wing rail H,

For preventing the undesirable slapping back above referred to, a dash pot assembly, indicated in general by BI], is provided, this construction being similar to the dash pot construction shown in Figs. 1 and 3. This construction offers no substantial impedance to opening of the movable wing rail H by a branch line train, but it compels slow closing so that the wing rail H does not slap back between successive pairs of wheels of the train.

It is thought that the advantages and operation of the present form will be obvious from the description and operation of the construction of Figs. 1-6. It will be noted that no special wearresisting insert is provided in this form, this form using instead only standard T-rail stock which is planed and cut to proper shape. In this form, the standard rail stock takes all the hammering due to branch line train wheels jumping the main line fiangeway 8 I. The branch line flangeway is normally held closed by the position of movable wing rail H, thereby providing continuous support for the treads of main line wheels.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A spring rail frog construction comprising a rigid wing rail, a pair of heel rails disposed at an angle, a wear-resisting insert connected to said heel rails and adapted to form the frog point, said insert having depending integral lugs, a spring wing rail, spring mechanism to actuate said spring wing rail and to close the flangeway between the frog point and spring rail, and a base plate supporting said rails and insert and having holes receiving said lugs, and means for holding said rails down on said base plate.

2. A spring rail frog construction comprising a rigid wing rail, a pair of heel rails disposed at an angle, a wear-resisting insert connected to said heel rails and adapted to form the frog point, said insert having depending integral lugs, a spring wing rail, spring mechanism connected to said frog point and adapted to actuate said spring Wing rail and to close the flangeway between the frog point and spring raiL'and a single plate forming a base for said rails and insert, said plate having holes to register with and receive said lugs, said lugs directly transferring stresses from said insert to said plate.

3. In a spring rail frog construction, a fixed wing rail, a frog point and a movable wing rail, a unitary base plate supporting said wing rails and frog point and having a pair of extensions resting on the adjacent ties and extending toward the middle of the branch line, spring devices normally holding said movable rail against said frog point, a bufifer comprising a cylinder located between and partially below said extensions and also below the tops of the ties on which said extensions rest, a lower strap and an upper strap connecting said extensions and having said cylinder located and pivoted therebetween, said cylinder containing a piston having a rod extending toward said movable wing rail, an angle clip secured to said movable rail and a pivot joining said piston rod and clip.

4. In a spring frog construction, a frog point, a fixed wing rail, a movable wing rail, spring devices normally holding said movable wing rail against said frog point, a buffer mechanism located between the rails of the branch line, said buffer mechanism including a cylinder, piston and piston rod, means for pivoting said cylinder to the track support, aid piston rod being located between said piston and said movable wing rail and secured to said movable wing rail, whereby said rod is subjected to relatively small stress when under compression during the opening movement of the movable wing rail, but is subjected to the full force of said spring devices when under tension during the retarding action of said buffer mechanism.

5. In a spring rail frog construction, a fixed wing rail, a frog point, a movable wing, a base plate under the aforesaid members, a main spring device including a member passing through both said wing rails in front of said frog point, an

auxiliary spring device between said movable wing rail and said base plate and disposed opposite said frog point, a buffer mechanism connected to said movable wing rail at a point between said -main and auxiliary spring devices to retard the return movement of said movable wing rail.

6. In a spring rail frog construction, a frog point, a fixed wing rail, a spring wing rail, a single base plate underlying said wing rails and frog point and extending for a length corresponding to several railroad ties on opposite sides of the small tip of the frog point, spring devices nor- 7. In a spring rail frog construction, a frog point, a fixed wing rail, a spring wing rail, a single base plate underlying said Wing rails and frog point and extending for a length corresponding to several railroad ties on each side of the tip end of the frog point, spring devices normally holding said spring wing rail against said frog point, said base plate having a pair of legs extending a substantial distance from said spring Wing rail and adapted to rest on a pair of adjacent ties, a buffer comprising a bulrer cylinder located between said extensions and extending below the upper surface of the ties, said buffer also comprising a piston connected to said spring rail, and means for connecting said cylinder to said extensions.

8. In a spring rail frog construction, a frog point, a fixed wing rail, a movable wing rail, a single base plate underlying said Wing rails and frog point and extending over a plurality of railroad ties, said base plate having a plurality of integral extensions, said extensions being adapted to overlie respectively the several railroad ties, spring devices between one of said extensions and said movable rail, telescoping holddown devices between some of said extensions and said movable rail, stop devices between some of said extensions and said movable rail, a pair of said extensions being longer than the other and forming a pair of legs, and a retarding mechanism secured between said legs and to said movable rail.

9. A rail frog construction comprising a pair of wing rails, a separate wear-resisting insert forming the frog point and disposed between said wing rails, a single flat base plate supporting said Wing rails and insert, said insert having a plurality of heavy depending lugs, and said base plate having holes snugly receiving said lugs.

10. In a railroad frog construction, a fixed wing rail adapted to be connected to a lead rail of the branch line, a movable wing rail adapted to be connected to a lead rail of the main line, a one-piece insert of wear-resisting material between said wing rails, said insert having a main line flangeway formed therein and comprising a frog point and a Wear-resisting shoulder on opposite sides of said main line flangeway, said frog point being adapted to be connected to heel rails of the main and branch lines, said flangeway having a recess through its floor at the throat of the frog, said insert having a portion in front of said throat connected to said fixed wing rail and extending to said movable wing rail.

11. A spring rail frog construction comprising a fixed wing rail, a movable wing rail, an insert of wear-resisting material comprising a frog point adapted to be connected to heel rails and a wear-resisting shoulder separated from said frog point by the main line fiangeway so that said shoulder and said frog point take the hammering due to branch line trains crossing said main line fiangeway, said shoulder being secured to said fixed wing rail, spring means for normally holding said movable wing rail against the frog point, and a retarding device delaying the return of said movable wing rail, whereby the hammering on said movable wing rail due to the action of successive wheels is avoided and wear-resisting material on said movable wing rail is not required.

GEORGE M. COOPER. SAMUEL LLOYD EASTBURN. 

